Garrett Hayes
Background * Garrett Hayes, Libertarian candidate for Governor of Georgia in the November, 2006 general election. * http://www.hayesforgovernor.com/ Details * Had polling results from Zagby at 8.1% and 8.4%. Issues Political campaigns should be about issues, and, unlike some politicians, I'm not one to be vague or to waffle. This page will give you a brief introduction to what I see as key issues facing the State of Georgia, where I stand on those issues, and EXACTLY how I propose to address them as Governor. If I'm not sure how to address the issue, I'll say that I'm not sure - I won't feed you meaningless pabulum. The issues that face Georgia are many and varied, and voters such as you are passionate about different things. If you don't see YOUR critical issues listed here, by all means drop me a line through the Feedback page, and I'll try to address it. You may also want to check the Questions & Answers page for detailed discussions of things I am asked as we go along. Immigration llegal Immigration & "Homeland Security" A great deal has been said lately about both Illegal Immigration and the safety of our country from covert terrorist attack. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue seems to combine and confuse the two issues as if they are one and the same. They ARE closely related, but they are not by any means identical issues. First, let me be clear and say that securing the safety of our country and our citizens is THE FOREMOST DUTY of the government. It's right up there at the beginning of the U.S. Constitution. Controlling our borders so that we know who is entering and why is of paramount importance. That's not the same thing as "closing" ourselves in and turning the US-Mexico border or the US-Canada border into giant versions of the Berlin Wall. Volunteer groups like the "Minutemen" in the Southwest have clearly shown us two important things: 1. We can begin to address the problem of an uncontrolled border very cost effectively with a very small commitment of resources. 2. Once again, Private Individuals outshine government at dealing with reality. I'd love to say something snappy and aggressive like, 'as Governor of Georgia I'll send our state troops to the border to deal with this issue.' But the truth is, it's one of the very few problems that really IS for the Federal government, unless we want checkpoints on every back-road between Georgia and Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida. But I won't just "work hand in hand with the Federal Government to solve this vital issue." I'll do whatever it takes to kick the Washington politicians in the pants and make them do their sworn duty under the Constitution. (It's Article IV, Section 4, by the way) Taxes Taxes are a "Short and Simple" issue - I'm agin' 'em. Yet it is a common old saw that the only certainties in this world are "Death and Taxes." It seems that every day, everywhere you turn, everything you do is taxed by one or more levels of government. So what do we do about it? First, let's start at the top - Eliminate the State Income Tax! Did you just pass out? "How will we fund needed services?!" is the immediate cry. But that's a reflex question, rooted in the long-standing assumption that taxes are inevitable and that government is actually providing us with value for the money. Instead, turn the question around, and ask yourself, "What services?" Make a list of the government services you can't do without, for which there aren't private alternatives and which must have income tax money for funding. Not bloody much! In fact, Georgia takes in roughly $6 billion dollars a year in income taxes. It also spends roughly $6 billion a year on "education" (about which there's *lots* more to say later on). So we are essentially paying $6 billion dollars for government to strand our children in LAST PLACE educationally. Sounds to me like a really good case for privatization and an easy way to balance the tax picture. Now let's move to the bottom - as we phase out the income tax, any and all tax surpluses (admittedly few right now) should be held in reserve for emergencies or rebated to the taxpayers. They should NOT be used for any new or increased spending or additional programs. without a REFERENDUM of the people. Our year-to-year budgeting should be from a zero-based, which means that each year's funding should start from ZERO planned funding and a clearly defined NEED, rather than from the previous budget plus growth. Finally, let's deal with the middle - we should eliminate any and all ability by the state to play switch-the-pot games. Taxes collected through one means for one purpose should be used ONLY for that purpose. For example, the recently discussed plans to use tolls from Georgia 400 to fund the Northern Arc should be completely prohibited. Regardless of whether you support or opposed the Arc, we should not be using revenues taken in under one guise to be diverted to other uses. To do so is fundamentally dishonest. But on an even more practical level, it hides the actual sources and uses of state revenues from the people. To re-cap: * End the State Income Tax * Reserve or Rebate any Surplus * Prohibit Redirection of Funds The Fair Tax The Fair Tax is a plan to replace the Federal Income tax with a retail sales tax AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. While I'm not sure I like the tax RATE that is being proposed - 23% is a little higher than the 0% which I think should be there - any chance to disable the IRS is a good thing. A VERY GOOD THING. I've met with Congressman John Linder about the Fair Tax plan and I'm convinced it's the right way to go. I'll put Georgia squarely behind it as well, by putting a bill before the Georgia legislature calling for either * The repeal of the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution * A Constitutional Convention to repeal the 16th Amendment Education Local Control" must mean "family control"! Children are "learning machines". That's what they do - grow and learn. And I've rarely met a teacher or a parent who didn't want "their" children to have the best education they can get. So WHAT is going wrong? Why are Georgia schoolchildren failing so miserably? The answer is simple - our educational system is under the control of regulators and theorists who have lost track of what they were SUPPOSED to be doing. Teachers who want to teach, parents who want their children educated and children who certainly have more than enough ability to learn, are all being hamstrung by rules and procedures from on high. So WHY do we put up with it? If the local hamburger joint served us as poorly as our public schools have done, they'd be out of business. They don't have the power to drag us in and MAKE us buy - a power that the government run schools do have. As Governor, I will promote educational excellence by the only means that really works: making schools directly accountable to those buying their services - you and me. bullet * Open Enrollment - As a first step, we need to break the stranglehold that unresponsive schools have on their student populations. You should be allowed to apply to any public school YOU choose, even if it is not the one on your street. * Vouchers - You should be able to spend those education dollars on the school that suits YOU, even if it is not a public school. Perhaps the prospect of those dollars going elsewhere will motivate failing schools to bring up their standards. * Real Qualifications - Forget "teaching certificates". Every teacher, whether in public or private schools, should provide parents with a record of their actual qualifications. It might be nice to know that your child's "history" teacher actually has only a degree in Underwater Basket Weaving - with a 2.2 GPA at that. * Home Schooling and "Co-Ops" - It should be far easier for parents to school their children at home, and to COOPERATE in doing so. If you have the skills to teach your child history and your neighbor can instruct in math, you should be able to do so. * Experience Counts - Let those who can DO, teach. It's shameful that a working chemist with a PhD, a Nobel Prize and 30 years of experience, can't teach chemistry without a "certificate" from an "Education College". Drugs Drugs and drug policy comprise probably one of the touchiest issues one can imagine. Almost everyone has strong feelings about this topic. So let me start by making it absolutely clear - I am NOT "pro drug". "Recreational" use of mind altering substances can be viciously self-destructive behavior, with devastating consequences for the drug user and for those around the drug user. I want to see an end to the destruction wrought by drug use. But the problem is, the "cure" being applied today is far, far worse than the disease - and it is only getting worse. To borrow a phrase from the 60's, we are "burning the village in order to save it." Current policy does nothing to stem the use of drugs, while putting vast sums of money into the hands of people best described as "the scum of the earth", and making ALL of us less safe in the process - from violent criminals on the one hand and conniving politicians on the other. One of the strongest arguments used in FAVOR of the so-called "War on Drugs" is the "message" it sends to our youth. When someone raises the specter that legalization will send the wrong message to kids, they deserve a sound answer, not a sound bite. So here it is: Let's send the REAL message clearly and unequivocally. Rather than criminalize behavior that is, unfortunately, widely practiced and breeding disrespect for the law, let's hold people accountable for the consequences of their decisions. * Zero Excuses - Instead of ludicrous "zero tolerance" laws, let's make it clear that drugs are not an excuse, by passing laws that clearly say drug use does NOT allow any sort of "diminished capacity defense", nor is the drug user entitled to government assistance with the bad effects of their choice. * Assistance Escaping Drugs - Make treatment available for anyone who wishes it to help them get clear of whatever drug they may have made the mistake of using - whether alcohol, hard narcotics or something in between. * The Harshest Possible Punishment for REAL Misdeeds - If people steal, commit assault, operate motor vehicles while intoxicated or engage in any of the behaviors we really wanted to prevent when we made drugs illegal, then by all means throw the book at them, hard and fast. And far from allowing intoxication to be a defense, let's make sure it results in stiffer sentence. * Legalize - Now that we've addressed the other social ills of drug use, it's time to end the motives for violence. Let's take away the profit motive in the illegal drug trade that gives us the vast number of violent crimes currently associated with drugs. From users bashing people over the head to get money for their "fix" to dealers shooting it out on street corners to protect their "turf", it all comes down to money. And the money is huge only because of the illegality. Laws & Regulations Law is the mortar of any civilized society. It must be strong to work, but it cannot take the place of the bricks (you and me and other individuals) it holds together. And the foundation on which the whole structure is built is our Constitution. Politicians have been chiseling away at that foundation for decades, all the while layering on gallons of legal and regulatory spackle until the entire thing is on the verge of collapse. Perhaps you've heard the phrase "ignorance of the law is no defense." But today, ignorance of the law is universal - there is simply so much of it that every one of us probably violates half a dozen laws or regulations a day in the conduct of our ordinary lives - without ever knowing it or MEANING to do so. As Governor, I will promote the overhaul of the law with these simple concepts: * Single Subject - Bills in the legislature should only address ONE topic. No hiding something sneaky in an unrelated bill. * Clear Authorization - Every proposed bill should clearly explain in its preamble exactly where the legislature got the legal authority to pass a law on the proposed subject, under both the US and Georgia State Constitutions. * Mandatory Sunsets - MOST laws should not be forever. Times and circumstances change, but laws rarely do. Each law should be INDIVIDUALLY reviewed every few years, and should automatically expire unless INDIVIDUALLY re-authorized. No "omnibus" authorizations. * Fundamental Laws - Some laws DON'T necessarily need to have sunset provisions. Crimes such as murder, rape, arson, robbery and the like are fundamental concepts in a civilized society. But whether a law should be declared "fundamental" should be voted on by the people of the entire State. * No "Self Exemptions" - The government should be forbidden to enact a law or regulation from which it exempts itself. If the law is good enough to benefit the people of Georgia, it's good enough to apply to our legislators, administrators and bureaucrats. Hayes category:Planks_from_elsewhere